Implants that are embedded into the body are attracting attention as a kind of the prostheses that supplement a defective portion of a natural bone. In particular, a dental implant that is embedded into the jaw bone is attracting attention.
The dental implant is inserted into and fixed to a hole provided at the alveolar bone in a case where a tooth root of a permanent tooth has been lost due to dental caries or damage.
The dental implant is composed of a fixture (artificial tooth root) to be fixed to the alveolar bone, an abutment (support base) to be screwed to the fixture, and an implant crown (artificial crown) to be mounted on the abutment.
The implant crown is always exposed in the oral cavity. In a case where the implant crown is formed of zirconia, zirconia has a color different from that of a natural tooth (dark brown or pure white); therefore, the aesthetics in the oral cavity are compromised.
When the gingiva is retracted, the part of the fixture and abutment is exposed from the gingiva. Therefore, also in a case where the fixture and abutment are formed of zirconia, the aesthetics in the oral cavity are compromised as in a case of the implant crown.
In Patent Literature 1, a technique for coloring an abutment color to a color approximate to that of the gingiva (red) has been disclosed. Because the abutment is red in color, the decrease in oral cavity aesthetics can be prevented, even in a case where the gingiva is retracted, and the abutment is exposed.